March 5th, 2011

Kibbeh Qerfaliyeh is baked kibbeh, the recipe is exactly the same as kibbeh Bes-Seiniyeh but the shape is different.

Let’s make Kibbeh Qerfaliyeh:

Dough

1, 2, 3, 4. Prepare fine bulgur wheat, rinse it in several changes of water, then squeeze out all water completely.

5. Add ground sweet paprika and salt to bulgur, and set aside in the refrigerator for two hours.

6. After two hours, attach the fine holed plate to the meat grinder.

7. To the grinder, add bulgur, and onion quarters, and grind.

8. To the ground mixture of bulgur and onion, add ground meat.

9. Grind the mixture of bulgur, onion and ground meat, then knead the dough with your hand.

10. Set the dough aside in the refrigerator covered with damp cloth.

Filling

11. Finely chop onion, then add salt to onion, rinse with water and strain.

12. In a pan, heat 1 tsp ghee.

13, 14. Saute onion until transparent, then set aside.

15, 16. In another pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee, and add pine nuts and keep until golden brown in color, then remove and place on paper towel and set aside. Then to the same ghee, add chopped walnuts and keep until golden in color, then remove, place on paper towel and set aside.

17. In a deep pot, heat 1 tbsp ghee.

18. Add ground meat and brown it.

19. Once the meat is cooked, add chopped onion.

20. Add nuts to meat, add salt and black pepper and stir for few seconds then turn off heat, (Note the meat should be completely cooked before adding walnuts, when you cook meat, water is released from the meat, but this water evaporates during cooking, so once this happen and the meat is completely cooked and no water remains you can add nuts).

Assemble

21, 22. In a bowl, add ghee and mix it with black pepper, and set aside.

23. Prepare a baking sheet, and grease it with knob of ghee.

24. Prepare 1 cup of lightly salted water, and bring kibbeh dough. Knead kibbeh dough with your hand, and gradually add the water while you are kneading, I add 1/2 cup of lightly salted water, and knead, you should feel that you can shape the dough easily.

25, 26. Divide the dough into balls, each is 26 g.

27. Bring the other 1/2 cup of lightly salted water and dip your hands in water, Take one ball.

28, 29, 30, 31, 31. Flatten the ball by moving your fingers clockwise (from 12 to 6) for several times until you get a circle with slight edges with a diameter equals to approximately 2 inch (5.1 cm) and thickness equals to 0.1 – 0.15 inch (0.3 – 0.4 cm)

33. Repeat the process with the other ball, so you get two flattened kibbeh pieces.

34. Fill the first piece of kibbeh with about 1 tsp of filling (meat mixture).

35. Bring the other piece of kibbeh, and use it to close the first one.

36, 37, 38, 39. Use your hand and move it clockwise (from 12 – 6) for several times to give the kibbeh a shape similar to mushroom cap.

40. Repeat all the process until you have used up all your dough.

41. Place kibbeh on the greased baking sheet.

42. Bring the bowl of ghee which is mixed with black pepper.

43, 44. Brush kibbeh generously with ghee, and all the sides must be covered with ghee.

45. This is how it looks after brushing with ghee.

46, 47, 48. Heat the oven, turn on the oven upper burner “broiler” on low temperature, and turn on the bottom burner “bake function” at 320°F (160 °C) (I’ve done this step of heating oven 15 minutes before placing the baking sheet in oven to cook), place the baking sheet in the oven (rack position the first from bottom), and cook kibbeh for 10 minutes then after 10 minutes take the baking sheet out of the oven (you will notice that the ghee is melted) use this melted ghee to brush kibbeh, then return it to the oven, and continue baking for about 5 minutes then again take the sheet out of the oven and brush kibbeh with the melted ghee. Then return the baking sheet to the oven, and continue cooking for about 20 – 23 minutes, or until top and bottom are lightly brown in color and the kibbeh is cooked, don’t over brown.

49.Serve kibbeh hot with salad (salad is prepared from tomato, cucumber, flat parsley, mint, onion, lemon juice, olive oil and salt), or Laban Bi-Khiar (yogurt diluted with water and mixed with cucumber cubes and dried mint), or laban A’yran (yogurt drink), leftovers can be reheated and served hot.

Prepare fine bulgur wheat, rinse it in several changes of water, then squeeze out all water completely.

Add ground sweet paprika and salt to bulgur, and set aside in the refrigerator for two hours.

After two hours, attach the fine holed plate to the meat grinder.

To the grinder, add bulgur, and onion quarters, and grind.

To the mixture of bulgur and onion, add ground meat.

Grind the mixture of bulgur, onion and ground meat, then knead the dough with your hand.

Set the dough aside in the refrigerator covered with damp cloth.

Filling

Finely chop onion, then add salt to onion, rinse with water and strain.

In a pan, heat 1 tsp ghee.

Saute onion until transparent, then set aside.

In another pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee, and add pine nuts and keep until golden brown in color, then remove and place on paper towel and set aside. Then to the same ghee, add chopped walnuts and keep until golden in color, then remove, place on paper towel and set aside.

In a deep pot, heat 1 tbsp ghee.

Add ground meat and brown it.

Once the meat is cooked, add chopped onion.

Add nuts to meat, add salt and black pepper and stir for few seconds then turn off heat, (Note the meat should be completely cooked before adding walnuts, when you cook meat, water is released from the meat, but this water evaporates during cooking, so once this happen and the meat is completely cooked and no water remains you can add nuts).

Assemble

In a bowl, add ghee and mix it with black pepper, and set aside.

Prepare a baking sheet, and grease it with knob of ghee.

Prepare 1 cup of lightly salted water, and bring kibbeh dough. Knead kibbeh dough with your hand, and gradually add the water while you are kneading, I add 1/2 cup of lightly salted water, and knead, you should feel that you can shape the dough easily.

Divide the dough into balls, each is 26 g.

Bring the other 1/2 cup of lightly salted water and dip your hands in water, Take one ball.

Flatten the ball by moving your fingers clockwise (from 12 to 6) for several times until you get a circle with slight edges with a diameter equals to approximately 2 inch (5.1 cm) and thickness equals to 0.1 – 0.15 inch (0.3 – 0.4 cm)

Repeat the process with the other ball, so you get two flattened kibbeh pieces.

Fill the first piece of kibbeh with about 1 tsp of filling (meat mixture).

Bring the other piece of kibbeh, and use it to close the first one.

Use your hand and move it clockwise (from 12 – 6) for several times to give the kibbeh a shape similar to mushroom cap.

Repeat all the process until you have used up all your dough.

Place kibbeh on the greased baking sheet.

Bring the bowl of ghee which is mixed with black pepper.

Brush kibbeh generously with ghee, and all the sides must be covered with ghee.

This is how it looks after brushing with ghee.

Heat the oven, turn on the oven upper burner “broiler” on low temperature, and turn on the bottom burner “bake function” at 320°F (160 °C) (I’ve done this step of heating oven 15 minutes before placing the baking sheet in oven to cook), place the baking sheet in the oven (rack position the first from bottom), and cook kibbeh for 10 minutes then after 10 minutes take the baking sheet out of the oven (you will notice that the ghee is melted) use this melted ghee to brush kibbeh, then return it to the oven, and continue baking for about 5 minutes then again take the sheet out of the oven and brush kibbeh with the melted ghee. Then return the baking sheet to the oven, and continue cooking for about 20 – 23 minutes, or until top and bottom are lightly brown in color and the kibbeh is cooked, don’t over brown.

Serve kibbeh hot with salad (salad is prepared from tomato, cucumber, flat parsley, mint, onion, lemon juice, olive oil and salt), or Laban Bi-Khiar (yogurt diluted with water and mixed with cucumber cubes and dried mint), or laban A’yran (yogurt drink), leftovers can be reheated and served hot.

Notes and Tips

I used aluminum baking sheet.

My oven is gas oven and it has two functions:
The oven upper burner “broiler”, this has two temperatures which are high and low.
The oven bottom burner “bake function”, this is divided into these temperatures (from 248 °F (120°C) to 518 °F (270 °C)).
I can turn on both of them together, and I can turn off one of them and keep the other on.

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on Saturday, March 5th, 2011 at 10:24 PM and is filed under Syrian Cooking.
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Fascinating! Dimah I love all the step-by-step photos. What an intricate dish. Definitely one made with alot of work and love. I always enjoy your posts. You have a wonderful way of educating about the food you make as well as make it beautiful to view.

Hello! This is my first visit to your blog, and I’m enjoying the posts that I’ve read so far! Thanks for commenting on my blog. I’ve added you to my Google Reader and look forward to reading your future posts!

What a fantastic recipe! And thank you so much for the step by step process and pictures. I know it takes a long time and effort, but it does make a difference when others are trying to replicate your recipe. I love kibbeh and had no idea of how to make them. Thanks so much for sharing! :-)

Hello Dimah, thank you for dropping by my space and for your comments. This is my first time to your space and I’m hooked. You’ve got a very beautiful and lovely blog going and your pics are just amazing. Syrian cuisine is new to me and I hope to try out some unique delicacies from you. :-)

Loved the way you post your recipes with pictures for every step,this helps a lot specially for people like me who are new to your way of cooking.You do have a lovely blog.I am in a dilemma about what to try first from your amazing collection of recipes.Thanks for stopping by my blog.

I’ve always wondered about kibbeh- Never quite knew what it was. This looks fantastic, and I especially like the combination of spices. Sounds like the perfect thing to veganize (maybe with ground seitan for the meat).

HI Dimah, what is a Kibbeh? Is it a bread or biscuit, since you don’t use yeast in there? Looks really interesting and tempting as well. Thanks for sharing. Hope you’re going to have a great weekend.
Kristy